Board game with carousel-type spinner



Oct. 8, 1968 M. l. GLASS ET AL 3,404,891

BOARD GAME WITH CAROUSEL-TYPE SPINNER Filed March 29, 1965 2 Sheets-Sheet l I IN V EN TORS M/wv/A/ z GLASS hE/VP Y 5744/ Oct. 8, 1968 M. GLASS ET AL 3,404,891

BOARD GAME WITH CAROUSEL-TYPE SPINNER Filed March 29, 1965 2 Sheets-Sheet .3

I J r INVENTORS ,22 J0 25 MAFw/v/ 64455 United States Patent BOARD GAME WITH CAROUSEL-TYPE SPINNER ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE Game apparatus including a three-dimensional spinner comprising a housing of cylindrical form having an opening in one side, a support mounted for rotation within the housing and including a plurality of simulated monkey figures differing in appearance and in position to be successively presented to said opening by reason of the rotation of the support. A stem extends through the top of the housing and has a releasable driving connection with the rotatable support, so that vertical movement of the stem elfects rotation of the support. There is provided a game board with a path for movement of playing pieces therealong, a die, a plurality of simulated coconuts and baskets for receiving same. The die is used to determine the movement of the playing pieces, and when a player reaches particular stations along the path he operates the spinner to determine whether he acquires or discards some of the simulated coconuts.

The present invention relates to games, and particularly to a board game including chance apparatus designed to appeal to children.

The game involves the use of a game board depicting a path having stations along which a plurality of markers are advanced in accordance with the indications of a chance means, such as a die. The path contains stations having pictures of monkeys in various attitudes, interspersed from time to time with white stations, and a but is also part of the game and has therewithin a carousellike support which rotates and carries a group of simulated monkey figures, one of which carries two simulated coconuts. The carousel is set in motion as will appear,

then caused to stop, whereupon one of the monkey figures will present itself at an opening or doorway in the side of the hut. The particular attitude of the monkey showing at the doorway determines the next move of the player, who must put some of his simulated coconuts in a discard basket, or perhaps may take some out of the discard basket. The object of the game is to acquire the most coconuts.

The principal object of the invention is to provide novel game apparatus. A further object of the invention is to provide a game including a game board and markers, a die, a set of baskets for the players, a discard basket, a hut with monkeys therein on a platform which can be spun, and a supply of coconuts. Further objects and advantages will become apparent from the following description of the embodiment of the invention illustrated in the drawings wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a front elevation of the hut showing one of the monkeys in the doorway;

FIGURE 2 is a fragmentary, vertical sectional view taken on the line 22 of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a plan view of the hut shown in FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 4 is an enlarged view of certain mechanism indicated in FIGURE 2 with the parts in a different position;

FIGURE 5 is a sectional view, taken on the line 55 of FIGURE 4;

FIGURE 6 is a perspective view of the game board;

FIGURE 7 is a perspective view of one of the markers;

FIGURE 8 is a perspective view of one of the baskets; and

FIGURE 9 is a perspective view of the die.

The illustrated game comprises basically a fiat game board 10 (FIGURE 6), a plurality of markers 12 (FIG- URE 7), a die 14 (FIGURE 9), a plurality of similar baskets 16 (FIGURE 8), one of which is colored green and serves as the supply and discard basket, and a monkey but generally designated as 18 and seen in FIGURES 1, 2 and 3.

While intended to be used as part of the game, it is contemplated that the game apparatus in the form of but 18 may turn out to be quite amusing to small children apart from any connection with the game. Since hut 18 [figures prominently in lending novelty to the game, it will be next described.

Hut 18 comprises essentially a generally cylindrical shell or housing 20 having a floor or bottom. wall 22 and a top or roof 24 which closes the top of the cylinder, with shell 20 providing an opening or doorway 25. Within the shell is a rotatable support 26 having a socket or pivot bearing 28 supported on a pivot pin 30 fixed on floor 22. Support 26 has a central hub portion 32 in the form of an upwardly directed tube normal to a platform portion 34 which is divided into segments by a plurality of partitions or Walls 36. Platform 34, hub 32 and walls 36 are permanently united to form a structure resembling a miniature carousel divided into four segments, in each of which is seated a figure of a monkey as 38 and 40, with each of the monkeys being seated in a different characteristic attitude. Monkey 38 is seated and holding two coconuts 42, which have significance in playing the game, as will appear.

Hub portion 32 is instrumental in positioning support 26, being driven by a combined clutch and bushing 44 which, as shown in FIGURE 4, is keyed to hub 32. Bushing 44 and support 26 are intially positioned relative to shell or housing 20 so that one of the simulated monkey figures is facing the doorway 25.

Roof 24 has a sleeve 46 having an upper collar 48 and extending downwardly within the hut from the upper central portion of roof 24, concentrically with pivot pin 30. Within the bore of sleeve 46 is a stem 50 having an upper grip or handle 52 in the form of a bird, or similar fanciful object. Stern 50 has a square or other angular portion 54 extending through the major portion of sleeve 46 and having a sliding fit in an aperture 56 formed in an in-turned portion 57 thereof so as to be slidable but nonrotatable in sleeve 46. A spring 58 is arranged around portion 54 and compressed between the shoulder 59 formed at the upper end of portion 54 and the lower in-turned portion 57 of sleeve 46 containing aperture 56. Stem 50 is therefore biased toward an upwardly disposed position. Stem 50 has a twisted continuation 60 of square portion 54, and between portion 60 and portion 54 is a short section 62 which is reduced in size and round in cross section. Below twisted portion 60 is a portion 64 which is square in cross section and which has a mating fit in a square opening in portion 66 of bushing 44, and at its lower extremity portion 64 has a head 68 which contracts portion 66 of bushing 44 to limit the upward 3 movement of stem 50. Within bushing 44 is a U-shaped spring 72 (FIGURE 5) having its legs biased inwardly to grip portions 60, 62, and 64 of stem and fixed against inadvertent removal by a pin 74 set in a bottom flange 76 forming a part of bushing 44 and including slotted portions 80 which are keyed to vertically extending ribs 82 formed on the interior of hub 32. Flange 76 is seated on inwardly extending shoulder portions 84 of ribs 82, so as to fix the vertical position of bushing 44 within hub 32.

It will now be apparent that a downward thrust on bird 52, assuming the parts in the position shown in FIGURE 2, will cause, by reason of the grip of spring 72 on twisted portion 60, a lateral thrust on bushing 44, causing bushing 44 to drive hub 32 through parts 80 and 82, to cause support 26 to spin. The downward motion of stem 50 continues until portion 62 is brought within spring 72, where by reason of the fact that portion 62 is round, support 26 may continue to spin momentarily, carrying bushing 44 and spring 72 with it. The downward movement will have compressed spring 58 within sleeve 46 and, when bird 52 is released, spring 58 will immediately move stem 50 upwardly. The upward movement of stem 50 will be stopped by contact of head 68 with portion 66 of bushing 44. Furthermore, the re-entry of square portion 64 into the square opening in portion 66 will halt the rotation of support 26 with one or another of the monkeys thereon appearing in the doorway 25 of hut 18. Such indexing of the figures is due to the square configuration of shaft portion 64 and the non-rotatable positioning of shaft 60 within sleeve 46. The attitude of the monkey which appears will determine the next move of the player.

Variations are contemplated in the manner of playing the game, but it is intended that the players will choose their markers and similarly colored baskets, and then spin the monkeys to see who starts. The player who first gets the monkey holding the two coconuts starts first. He throws the die and, placing his marker on the starting point 92, moves it the number of squares or stations indicated. The path of travel on the game board 10 includes a series of monkeys 94 in various attitudes, as, for example, see no evil (hands over eyes), hear no evil (hands over ears), and speak no evil (hands over mouth), but other attitudes could be used. At least some of the attitudes correspond with those of the monkeys in the hut, and white spaces 95 are interspersed between the monkeys from time to time.

Each player has been issued ten coconuts, and the rest of the coconuts are placed in the discard basket, preferably colored green. Each of the white spaces bears a legend instructing the player to leave a number of coconuts, and if a players marker lands on a white space, he must leave the number of coconuts specified, placing them on the white space. If his marker lands on a monkey with coconuts, he then spins the monkeys in the but and notes which monkey stops at the doorway. If the monkey that appears is the same as the monkey on the space, the player takes from the green basket the number of coconuts shown in the space; if the monkey is different, he must put that number of coconuts from his basket into the green basket. The first player to reach the finish point 96 takes all the coconuts on the board, while the other players continue until they finish. When all the players are finished, the player having the most coconuts wins the game.

If any player runs out of coconuts, he may continue to play regardless of the fact that he cannot leave any coconuts when so directed.

Although a particular form of game and apparatus associated therewith has been shown and described it will be apparent that certain modifications might be made without departing from the principles of the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. Game apparatus comprising a housing of generally upright cylindrical form having an opening in one side,

4 a rotatable support mounted for free rotation in said housing and having a plurality of separately distinguishable animal figures thereon in position to be successively presented to said opening 'by reason of rotation of said support, said support having an upwardly directed central hub portion of hollow cylindrical configuration, a combined bushing and clutch member within said hub portion arranged to be rotatable with said hub portion and providing an axial bore, an elongated stern having a portion of noncircular cross section at its lower end and an upper portion of twisted configuration and'being non-rotatably and reciprocably mounted in said housing and extending through said bore, clutch means fixed in said bore and frictionally releasably engageable with said portion of twisted configuration during reciprocation of said stem, said clutch member having stopping means nonrotatably receiving said non-circular stem portion upon completion of the upward return movement of the stem, means in said hub engaging such clutch member in driven relation therewith, and means outside of said housing for reciprocating said stem, said stem portions, said stopping means and said fixed clutch means being of such-construction and so relatively arranged that downward movement of said stem portion of twisted configuration causes rotation of said clutch member relatively to said stern, and the engagement of said non-circular stem portion with said stopping means, upon completion of the return movement of said stem, stops the rotation of said clutch member at a position wherein only one of said figures on said support is aligned with the housing side opening.

2. Apparatus for use in a chance game comprising a housing of generally upright cylindrical form having an opening in one side, a support mounted for free rotation in said housing, occupying the major portion of the interior thereof and having an upwardly directed central hub portion of hollow cylindrical configuration, said hub portion having therein a plurality of inwardly projecting ribs, a bushing within said hub having a plurality of notches positioned to engage said ribs and having a square axial opening at its lower end, a guide fixed in relation to said housing upwardly of and concentric with said hub, a stem having a portion of non-circular cross section guided for reciprocation in said guide and secured against rotation therein, said stem having a round portion downwardly of said non-circular portion, a twisted portion downwardly of said round portion, and having a square portion downwardly of said twisted portion, said bushing providing an opening axially thereof in which said stem is disposed for relative reciprocation, said bushing having fixed therein a spring means positioned for frictional releasable engagement with the sides of said stem, so that said bushing is rotated by sliding movement of said twisted portion through said spring and is free to rotate relative to said stern when said round portion is engaged by said spring means, said relative rotation continuing during the return movement of the stem, and whereby the entry of said square stem portion into said square opening in said bushing upon completion of such return movement is effective to stop the rotation of said bushing and support, an enlarged head on the lower end of said stem disposed beneath said bushing to prevent inadvertent removal of said stem from said bushing, a retracting spring in said guide disposed about said stem and of sufiicient force to urge said stem upwardly in spite of the friction of said spring means on the sides of said stem, and a handle on the upper end of said stem upwardly and outwardly of said housing, said support having a plurality of stations disposed peripherally thereabout, and a separately distinguishable animal figure on each of said stations, said stations being spaced so that the figures successively appear in said opening in the side of said housing, said stations on said support being oriented with respect to the sides of said square opening in said bushing so that when said square stem portion engages said square opening in said bushing the hub and support are halted at a position wherein only one of said figures is aligned with said housing opening.

3. A game comprising a game board, a plurality of markers, a die, a plurality of player baskets, a plurality of simulated coconuts, a simulated hut providing a rotatable support mounting a plurality of simulated monkeys in varying attitudes and said support arranged to be spun, said but providing a doorway at which one of said monkeys will stop at the conclusion of the spinning movement, and a discard basket, said game board providing a path for said markers characterized by a series of representations of monkeys in attitudes corresponding to those of the monkeys in said hut, and said path also including a series of stations bearing legends requiring the player to leave at a station a specific number of coconuts.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,005,231 6/ 1935 Macourek 273142 2,468,000 4/1949 Taylor 273-143 2,846,227 8/1958 Wickham 273138 X FOREIGN PATENTS 1,092,243 11/ 1954 France.

DELBERT B. LOWE, Primary Examiner. 

